Heuchera plant named ‘Grape Timeless’

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct hybrid of  Heuchera  plant named ‘Grape Timeless’ with medium-sized, shallowly lobed, glossy foliage with rounded apices and lobes. Tightly-branched, upright panicles are produced from early summer to early fall for about fourteen weeks displaying large, bright, rosy-pink flowers. The new plant has a compact habit, is vigorous and produces showy, long-flowering, herbaceous, perennial mounds of leaves beginning the season purplish-red and developing a greyed-purple overlay and dark charcoal-purple surrounding the veins, effective as a specimen plant, en masse, or as a container plant in the landscape.

Botanical denomination: Heuchera hybrid.

Variety denomination: ‘Grape Timeless’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES UNDER 37 CFR 1.77(B)(6)

The first public disclosure of the claimed plant, in the form of awebsite to the public and email release to customers, was made byWalters Gardens, Inc. on Feb. 1, 2018 followed by the Walters Gardens,Inc. Summer 2018—Spring 2019 catalog. The first public sales of Heuchera‘Grape Timeless’ was by Walters Gardens, Inc. on Jul. 23, 2018. WaltersGardens, Inc. obtained the new plant and information about the new plantdirectly from the inventor. No plants of Heuchera ‘Grape Timeless’ havebeen sold, in this country or anywhere in the world, nor has anydisclosure of the new plant been made, more than one year prior thefiling date of this application, and such sale or disclosure within oneyear was either derived directly or indirectly from the inventor.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of CoralBells in the Saxifragaceae family and given the cultivar name ofHeuchera ‘Grape Timeless’. ‘Grape Timeless’ was hybridized by theinventor on Feb. 11, 2015 at a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland,Mich., USA. The seed or female parent was ‘Berry Timeless’ U.S. PlantPat. No. 26,357 and the pollen or male parent was a proprietaryunreleased hybrid known as 13-715-1.

Heuchera ‘Grape Timeless’ was first selected in the fall of 2016 andpassed final evaluation in the fall of 2017 from among many otherseedlings from the same cross and hundreds of other crosses and assignedthe breeder code 15-42-2 through the remaining evaluation process.Heuchera ‘Grape Timeless’ has been asexually propagated initially bybasal cuttings at the same nursery in Zeeland, Mich. in 2016 and also bysterile, shoot-tip, tissue culture propagation, and the resultant plantshave remained stable and continued to exhibit the same characteristicsas the original plant for multiple generations.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The nearest comparison varieties include: the female parent ‘BerryTimeless’, ‘Grape Expectations’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,894, ‘Wildberry’U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 16/350,491, ‘Wild Rose’ U.S.Plant Pat. No. 29,923, and ‘Electric Plum’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 29,924and the two copending U.S. Plant Patent Applications ‘Timeless Glow’U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 16/350,865 and ‘TimelessTreasure’ U.S. Plant patent application Ser. No. 16/350,856. ‘BerryTimeless’ has a similar profusion of flowers throughout the season butthe flower color is lighter pink and the foliage is light green withslight silvering between the veins. ‘Grape Expectations’ has foliagewith less dissected lobes and the flowers are larger, creamy-white for ashorter season and on taller stems. ‘Wildberry’ has less silver betweenthe veins and the flowers are white and for a shorter period. ‘WildRose’ has more silver overlay on the leaf, the leaves and habit arelarger and the flowers are present over a shorter season. ‘ElectricPlum’ has lighter pink emerging leaves in the spring, the leaves aremore rounded and light pink flowers are produced for a shorter season.The male parent has different colored foliage and the flowers areproduced over a shorter period. ‘Timeless Glow’ has chartreuse-yellowfoliage with a silver overlay and intense, rose-pink flowers for asimilarly long period. ‘Timeless Treasure’ has small pewter leaves withdark mahogany veins and stems and large rosy-pink flowers for asimilarly long period. Heuchera ‘Grape Timeless’ differs from itsparents as well as all other coral bells known to the applicant in thefollowing combined traits:

-   -   1. The medium-sized, flat, glossy foliage has rounded apices and        lobes.    -   2. Leaf blades begin season purplish-red and develop        greyed-purple overlay between the charcoal-purple area        surrounding the veins.    -   3. Leaf blades are shallowly dissected with apices rounded and        mucronulate.    -   4. Flowers are outwardly-facing, bright, rosy-pink on dark        purple stems.    -   5. Flowering period begins in early summer and continues for        about fourteen weeks into early fall with repeat panicles.    -   6. Compact, short-branched panicles of deep burgundy display        flowers at multiple nodes beginning under foliage.    -   7. The new plant is vigorous and produces compact clumps and        many individual leaves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of Heuchera ‘Grape Timeless’ demonstrate the overallappearance of the plant including the unique traits of a plant in a fullsun trial block in Zeeland, Mich. The colors are as accurate asreasonably possible with color reproductions. Some slight variation ofcolor may occur as a result of lighting quality, intensity, wavelength,and direction or reflection.

FIG. 1 shows a two-year-old plant grown in a container in a partiallyshaded greenhouse in peak flowering season.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of a flower panicle with buds and flowers from atwo-year-old plant.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following description is based on three-year-old plants growing in apartially shaded greenhouse in Zeeland, Mich., USA. The new plant hasnot been grown under all possible environments and may phenotypicallyappear different under different conditions such as light, temperatures,fertilizer, and water, without any difference in genotype. The colordescriptions used are from the 2015 edition of The Royal HorticulturalSociety Colour Chart except where common dictionary terms are used.

-   Parentage: Female or seed parent was ‘Berry Timeless’, the male or    pollen parent was the proprietary unreleased hybrid known only by    the breeder code 13-715-1 consisting of ‘Plum Royale’ U.S. Plant    Pat. No. 20,935, ‘Georgia Plum’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,507, ‘Mocha’    U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,386, ‘Mocha Mint’ (not patented), ‘Pinot    Noir’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 20,434 and ‘Milan’ U.S. Plant Pat. No.    21,682;-   Plant habit: Hardy herbaceous perennial with basal rosette of    foliage; mounded foliage about 27.0 cm tall and 40.0 cm in diameter    with scapes to about 70.0 cm long; with about 6 stems per plant to    about 3.0 cm long and 1.2 cm diameter at base, with about 20 to 35    leaves per stem; about 30 scapes during peak flowering;-   Roots: Fibrous, finely branched;-   Growth rate: Rapid, rooting from cutting in two weeks and finishing    in three-liter container in about two and a half months;-   Foliage: Cordate to nearly rounded; micro-puberulent adaxial and    abaxial; palmately shallowly lobed with five main lobes shallowly    dissected, less than one-quarter of the distance to the petiole;    with few, typically four, shallow indentations; apex and lobe apices    rounded and mucronulate; base cordate with basal lobes nearly    overlapping to overlapping about 0.5 cm; margins crenate to    mucronulate, ciliolate; lustrous adaxial and abaxial; held nearly    horizontal; margin mostly flat;-   Leaf blade size: To about 13.5 cm wide and 13.5 cm long, average    about 11.5 cm wide and 11.5 cm long;-   Leaf color: Spring and young emerging adaxial nearest RHS N186D    around distal margin and nearest blend between RHS N186C and RHS    N187B, thin region surround veins nearest RHS N187A; spring young    emerging abaxial nearest RHS N186C; mature mid-season adaxial    nearest RHS N187B with developing wider portion surrounding the    veins nearest RHS N187A; abaxial mature mid-season nearest RHS 187A;    fall and winter adaxial nearest N187B with undertone of nearest RHS    182B with portion surrounding veins nearest N187A; abaxial fall and    winter RHS 187A;-   Leaf quantity: Dense, about 140 per plant;-   Veins: Palmate; sparsely hirsutulous and costate abaxial, glabrous    and slightly impressed adaxial;-   Vein color: Emerging or early spring adaxial and abaxial nearest RHS    N186D; mid flowering season adaxial nearest RHS N186C, mid flowering    season abaxial between RHS N186D and RHS N186C; late season adaxial    variable, nearest RHS 197B and nearest RHS 187B proximally and    distally becoming nearest RHS N187A, fall abaxial nearest RHS 187A;-   Petiole: Cylindrical, base amplexicaul; pubescent with hairs to    about 2.0 mm long; to about 21.0 cm long and 4.0 mm wide above    stipule; average about 15.0 cm long and about 3.0 mm diameter above    stipule;    -   -   Petiole color: Emerging leaf nearest RHS 187B; flowering            season mature leaf nearest RHS 187A; late season nearest            blend between RHS 177B and RHS 187B;-   Stipule: Flared at base of petiole; glaucous abaxial and adaxial;    margin ciliolate; to about 3.0 cm long and about 16.0 mm wide at    base; with two lateral projections of about 5.0 mm long and 2.0 mm    across in distal portion;-   Stipule color: Young expanding adaxial and abaxial nearest RHS    N186D; mature adaxial and abaxial nearest 187B with undertones    nearest RHS 176B;-   Peduncle: Panicle; terete; stiff; pubescent; upright; densely    branched; to about 70.0 cm long and 4.5 mm diameter at base, average    about 58.0 cm tall and 4.0 mm diameter; about 30 per plant with up    to about 120 flowers per panicle, average about 100; initial flowers    under foliage; tightly-branched panicle with up to 30 branches up to    5.5 cm long and 1.0 mm diameter decreasing distally, average 25    branches per panicle; lower branches mostly upright becoming    outwardly distally; each branch subtended by foliar bract; flower    density moderate;-   Peduncle color: Nearest RHS 187A;-   Foliar bract: Oblong palmate; incised margins to deeply lobed; apex    acute; truncate clasping base; to 1.8 cm long and 1.0 cm across,    decreasing distally; sessile;-   Foliar bract color: Adaxial and abaxial nearest RHS 187A distally    and nearest RHS N186D proximally;-   Flowering longevity: Panicle effective for about two to four weeks;    individual flowers about 5 days; self-cleaning;-   Flowering period: Beginning early summer and repeating with new    panicles without the need to remove old panicles through early fall    for about 14 weeks;-   Peduncle color: Nearest RHS 187A;-   Pedicel: Cylindrical; puberulent; to about 7.0 mm long and 0.5 mm    diameter, average about 5.0 mm long and 0.5 mm diameter; attitude    outwardly;-   Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 187A;-   Buds one day prior to opening: Ellipsoid; rounded apex and attenuate    base; puberulent to glandular; about 7.0 mm long and 3.5 mm    diameter;-   Bud color one day prior to opening: Nearest RHS 59C;-   Flower: Perfect; campanulate; actinomorphic; about 9.0 mm long to    tip of exserted style and 10.0 mm in diameter at corolla face;-   Flower attitude: Outwardly;-   Calyx: Base fused in proximal 3.5 mm to form hypanthium; puberulent    to glandular abaxial, glabrous adaxial; about 8.0 mm long and 7.0 mm    wide at apex;-   Sepals: Five; lanceolate; acute apex, fused in basal 3.5 mm; to    about 7.0 mm long and 3.0 mm wide at fusion;-   Sepal color: Abaxial nearest RHS 59C, adaxial nearest RHS 59C with    undertone of nearest RHS 146D toward apex;-   Petals: Five; oblanceolate to spatulate; subacute apex and attenuate    base; margin entire; glabrous adaxial and abaxial; about 4.0 mm long    and 1.0 mm wide in middle;-   Petal color: Abaxial and adaxial between RHS 70C and 70D;-   Androecium: Five adnate to adaxial sepal about 1.0 mm above base;    -   -   Filaments.—Five, thin, glabrous; about 3.0 mm long and about            0.5 mm diameter; color nearest RHS NN155B.        -   Anthers.—Ellipsoidal, distinct, basifixed, longitudinal;            about 1.0 mm long and about 0.7 mm across; color nearest RHS            167A.        -   Pollen.—Abundant; color nearest RHS 18B.-   Gynoecium: One, two-beaked; half-inferior; bifid style with pistil    split at ovary; about 9.0 mm long;    -   -   Style.—Bifid; split apart at apex of ovary; exserted; about            5.0 mm long and about 0.5 mm diameter; color nearest RHS            60C.        -   Stigma.—Acute apex, about 0.1 mm diameter; color nearest RHS            75A.        -   Ovary.—Half-inferior, about 4.0 mm long and 3.0 mm diameter;            ellipsoidal to globose; acute apex and base rounded; color            lighter than RHS 146D.-   Fruit: Small two-beaked capsule; about 2.5 mm long and 2.5 mm    across; drying to RHS 200C;-   Seeds: Abundant; slightly flattened ellipsoid; about 0.3 mm long,    0.2 mm across and about 0.1 mm thick; color nearest RHS 200A;-   Disease and pest tolerance: The new plant grows best with ample    moisture and drainage in either part sun or full shade. Cold hardy    from USDA zones 4 to 9. Other resistance and tolerance outside of    that normal for Heuchera is not known.

It is claimed:
 1. The new and distinct Coral Bells plant named Heuchera‘Grape Timeless’ as herein described and illustrated.